Seventeen: Tell us a little bit about your music. What are we going to hear?

Tristan Wilds: I'm just basically trying to make music that feels good. Right now in the music industry there's a real lack of intimacy. You don't really connect with the artist as much anymore, and you don't really understand where they are. I'm basically doing music that illustrates who I am and where I am in my life.

17: What are we going to learn about you through your music?

TW: Well, I write a lot of poetry — that's where it usually all starts. I definitely want to show you guys sides of me — love, loss, heartbreak — all of that good stuff!

17: Let's talk about some of the themes we're going to see in the album, like love and loss. When you do go through a difficult time, do you shut down?

TW: I definitely shut down sometimes. I always just go into my own little cocoon and write, and I surround myself with as much music as possible. The last girlfriend I had, when we broke up, I remember being in a room for days on days on days with my music cranked up, playing songs like Kanye's 808's & Heartbreak. That playlist just was LONG!

17: Do you feel like there are things that you understand about love and life now that you didn't know when you were 17?

TW: Oh wow, yes! Sometimes I wish that I could go into a time machine right now and just look at my self and say, "CALM DOWN. Things are gonna be fine. Things are gonna be all great. Just relax."

17: So what music artists are you really into now?

TW: Kanye, of course. I like Kanye because of his honesty. I think Kanye has a weird honesty that, no matter how brash or how conceited he may come off, you listen to that music and you just feel him. It's like you hate to love him!

17: Is there anybody that you're into that we'd be surprised by? Are you a closet Britney Spears fan?

TW: Actually, there are some Britney Spears songs that I have on my iPod. You know…my little sister listens to it! I give everybody a fair try, a fair shake.

17: Where is a girl going to want to listen your music?

TW: If I had it my way, she would want to listen to it everywhere! I love ballads, but I'm a hip hop head through and through —everything from Jay-Z to Run-DMC to Public Enemy. Hip hop was probably the basis of my life, and then it just grew into singing and poetry and everything else.